Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner Angelene Falk said the Corporate Plan signals a shift in the way the OAIC operates and responds to the significant change in the environment in which we regulate.

“At a time when many believe institutional trust is in decline, our work to promote and uphold privacy and information access rights is critical to restoring community confidence in information handling and management,“ Commissioner Falk said.

“We are pursuing these goals in a rapidly evolving environment as the value and volume of data held by business and government continues to grow and global information-handling practices become increasingly complex.”

The plan sets out four strategic priorities to help the OAIC achieve its vision:

Advance online privacy protections for Australians

Influence and uphold privacy and information access rights frameworks

Encourage and support the proactive release of government-held information

Contemporary approach to regulation.

Key activities for the year ahead include developing a code of practice for digital platforms to provide stronger online protections, including for vulnerable people such as children.

Embedding and enforcing strong privacy safeguards in Australia’s new data portability regime, the Consumer Data Right, will be a significant focus for the OAIC.

The Corporate Plan also details our approach to helping agencies understand their freedom of information obligations and realise the benefits of proactively releasing information.

Commissioner Falk said the agency’s guiding principles would steer the OAIC in delivering these goals.

”We are engaged and agile in responding to our changing environment, and our efforts are targeted to address emerging and priority issues and meet community expectations, putting the community at the centre of what we do